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REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

Just a reminder that our Annual 'AT HOME' Two Day 'ALL ONLINE' ROHATSU (Buddha's Enlightenment Day) RETREAT IS COMING UP ... on the weekend of December 4 and 5, 2010.

This Retreat celebrates the 'official' closure of our ANGO (100 day Special Practice Season), is a part of our current preparations for our JUKAI (Undertaking the Precepts) Ceremony in January, and marks ROHATSU ... the traditional holiday in Japan celebrating the time of the Buddha's Enlightenment.

The week between December 1st and 8th is called Rohatsu Sesshin, which is a whole week of intensive zazen. The custom has its roots in the Buddha’s own attainment of enlightenment after a week of Zazen. Following the example of the Buddha, Zen monks meditate for a whole week, amid the cold weather of winter. The word R?hatsu (??) in Japanese literally means 8th Day of the 12th Month. It is the time we Buddhists celebrate the enlightenment of Buddha and rejoice in the path of peace and liberation from suffering.

Zen Sangha all around the world will be holding week long Sesshin and shorter Retreats of a few days during this time. This year marks our 3rd Annual "All Online" 2-Day Retreat.

The schedule and content will be (with small changes) nearly the same as last year's, which you can see here (you can also watch video of each part from last year) ...

This year, Jundo will be leading the first day, and Taigu will be leading the final day.

Because Treeleafers will be sitting in many time zones, let me explain how it works ... and I believe it will be surprisingly clear and easy to follow:

We will be sitting in Japan from 6AM to evening both Saturday and Sunday (Japan time) . That means that the live netcast will actually run FRIDAY evening to SUNDAY morning/afternoon in most of North America and Europe (equivalent times in New York and London are shown on last year's schedule linked above). Please calculate your equivalent local times.

So, here is how you can do the Retreat:

I - One way is to just sit from your morning to late night, in your time zone Saturday and Sunday, using the recorded versions only (recordings of each segment, e.g., Zazen, Samu Work Practice, Oryoki, will be posted by us on the Treeleaf Blog as soon as we finish live sitting). You will follow us in "real time", but just a few hours after us in Japan. (You do not need to begin at 6am as we do, but we ask that you begin your day in your local time zone no earlier than 4am, and no later than 7am, adjusting the schedule accordingly)

II- The other way is to sit, as much as you can, with live segments, and then sit with any missed segments via their recorded version by simply adding the missed segments (segments, for example, that happened during your sleeping time) right on the end of each day. You will need to figure out the schedule to see which activities you can join live, which you will need to join later as a replay recording.

WE DO NOT CARE IF YOU CHANGE THE ORDER OF SEGMENTS, SO LONG AS ... AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ... YOU DO ALL SEGMENTS, AND OVER A SOLID TWO DAYS.

We have designed the schedule, as much as possible, so that you can do this. So, for example, the activities you miss while you are asleep (like Samu Work Practice) can be easily moved to the end. Other activities (such as meals) were positioned by me to be in about the right time so people in many time zones can join us 'live' (at least most of the time).

OF COURSE, IF YOU CANNOT SIT THAT WEEKEND ... IT IS AVAILABLE ANY OTHER DAY YOU CAN SIT. We do expect Jukai participants to make the efforts to complete the Retreat at the first opportunity.

NOTE TO PARENTS: Please feel free to devote Samu work periods to family/child care, extend or move Samu work periods as necessary to do so, or convert some "Zazen" periods to additional Samu. If you miss any Zazen, it would be nice if you do "make-up" Zazen by adding it at a convenient time. REMEMBER: All parental activities should be done with an attitude of Samu, and as much as possible, in Silence. All will be part of the Retreat!

OF COURSE, EVERYTHING IN MODERATION ... if the sitting ever feels too much, be sure to walk lots and lots of Kinhin (even if during a sitting period). And if the whole retreat becomes too much, or you feel ill, you may slow down ... , spread things out, shorten the sittings ... or STOP! Be sure that you have someone close by whom you can call, or who can check on you from time to time. If there is any question about health, do not take any chances.

I will be speaking about the Retreat in some 'Sit-a-Longs' in the coming days. TOMORROW I WILL POST A SERIES OF VIDEOS, AND WILL ASK THOSE WHO WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN OUR RETREAT TO WATCH AND REVIEW EACH IN PREPARATION BETWEEN NOW AND THE START. They will cover such hot topics as "How to Oryoki" "How to Bow" "How to Go To The Bathroom during a Retreat" (Really) and many others.

Also, follow this link to download our Chant Book for the Retreat (some changes from last year). It is 30(!!) pages long (PDF), and I ask you to print it out and place it in a nice binder.

I will also soon be posting LINKS TO A SERIES OF 'SIT-A-LONG' TALKS WHICH SHOULD BE LISTENED TO before the Retreat. They cover such hot topics as "How to Oryoki" "How to Bow" "How to Go To The Bathroom during a Retreat" (Really) and many others.

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

I was so looking forward to doing the retreat this weekend, but unfortunately I have been sick all week and it does not look good. I can sit zazen for only a few minutes without going into a coughing fit. I absolutely loved doing the retreat last year with the group, but this year I will have to do the recorded version. I am thinking of the week of the 20th as I will be on winter break. Good luck to all, especially those taking Jukai this year!

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

Originally Posted by BrianW

I was so looking forward to doing the retreat this weekend, but unfortunately I have been sick all week and it does not look good. I can sit zazen for only a few minutes without going into a coughing fit. I absolutely loved doing the retreat last year with the group, but this year I will have to do the recorded version. I am thinking of the week of the 20th as I will be on winter break. Good luck to all, especially those taking Jukai this year!

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

I have to work, (the patients insist on eating, you see,) but I intend to participate in as much as possible and treat my workday as work-practice as much as is possible, using my breaks to sit. (That's not a whole lot different for me at the job anyway.) This Rohatsu will be mostly Samu for me, I guess, but I'll follow as much of the schedule as I can.

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

I will be there at 0600hrs GMT.
Looking forward to sitting with all the British timers at the same time and the Europeans an hour ago and the Americans later and...
this international stuff can do you head in.

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

Hi!
It is great to be able to sit live with you all!
Great talks by the way!
I experienced some problems with my Internet connection, being kicked off from time to time (especially when I login).
Now, I've got to go back and take care of my family, but I'll be with you all "tomorrow" morning for the second day of our retreat!

Thank you again to all who sat, sit and will sit!
Thanks to our teachers!

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

Hi all,
just completed day one (recorded). Got all the way through until the last zazen and it through a wobbly, too late to spoil a very good days practise though.
See you all tomorrow morning bright and early.

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

Practice was interesting today. I was the only cook at work, and I treated the day as if I were a monastery "tenzo." It was fascinating to turn a work day into a silent practice day. My sitting was deep, my kinhin had elements it never had, and the rest of what I treated as "work practice" was amazing... the meditative depth of peeling carrots and steaming cauliflower and whatnot were great, and cleaning my pots and utensils tonight, treating them as of I were washing the baby Buddha was just awesome. This was my favorite day at work thus far. Tomorrow should be wonderful. Hoping all have a joyous, splendid Rohatsu...
-Karl

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

hello all,

I'm still retreat-ing...very achy, but still kicking . Lost my internet service late last night through about 1 pm this afternoon. Couldn't sit with you live...by I've been sitting on my own and following our Chant book. Such is life. I was up very early this morning so that I could finish up a little earlier this evening to be with my kids.

Re: REMINDER: Our 'AT HOME' 2-day Online ROHATSU RETREAT Dec 4-5

Jundo- remember the first time we did this here? What was it... '07? '08? I don't know. The site and technology have certainly improved. Everything went GREAT this year and all seemed very streamlined. Bravo!